Asian American Psychologist
My Clinical Experience
Before starting this practice focused on AANHPI mental health, I was a generalist in a large medical system in California. I treated many different kinds of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety and phobias, bipolar disorders, and PTSD/trauma. I provided individual therapy and group therapy. I did shifts in the ER, providing psychiatric evaluations to people in crisis. I supervised the psychological evaluations of trainees. I learned so much everyday. The job was a crash course in mental healthcare in the US—a maddeningly inefficient matrix.
Before that, I was a postdoctoral resident doing rotations in chronic pain and Intensive Outpatient Program (a higher level of care for acute mental health concerns). I also developed a self-compassion class and provided individual therapy for a variety of common concerns such as depression, relationship problems, and anxiety.
Other formative clinical experiences:
Providing short-term therapy and brief assessments in a family medicine clinic
Working with migrants, refugees, and asylees from Asia
Supervising the clinical work of students in a Master’s program for counseling
Working with first generation college students
Training in contemporary psychoanalysis
Why I Became a Psychologist
I became a psychologist after many years of not knowing what I wanted to do in young adulthood. I taught English in Korea (as many twenty-somethings do when they don’t know what they’re doing with their lives). I worked as an administrative assistant. I worked at a law firm to see what being a lawyer was like. (Remember, lawyers are part of the “holy trinity” of acceptable careers to Asian parents.) During this time in my life, the only thing that made me feel productive and brave was going to weekly therapy. I entered therapy to try to “fix” myself because I believed I was a failure. I was stuck in indecision about my career and I was having a lot of trouble with romantic relationships. After I started learning more about myself with the help of therapists, I started to realize that in a lot of ways, I wasn’t living life on my own terms. I was making the choices of someone who did not feel empowered and did not expect to be happy.
There’s a lot to my own story, as there is to yours. I want to be clear that being a psychologist doesn’t mean I’m perfect or have it all figured out. I’m doing the work myself and I’m always growing. And I know how crucial it’s been to have a good therapist contain and guide my work.
I started my career in mental health by getting a Master’s in counseling but knew before the program was over that I needed more training to be the therapist I really wanted to be—a masterful clinician who works deeply. Had I known how arduous a Ph.D. really was, I might have changed my mind, so maybe it was a good thing that I entered a Ph.D. program with some naïveté. My Ph.D. program was long and took me to a part of the country that really challenged me (southern New Mexico) because it was so different from any other place I’d lived. Ultimately, I grew a lot and feel grateful because this learning gave me the tools to support the clients in my practice today. This education helped me connect mental health concerns to issues of class, race, language, gender, sexual orientation, and intergenerational trauma. It’s a privilege to attain this level of higher education and I’m committed to giving away what I’ve learned.
Why I Started My Practice
I enjoyed the financial security and benefits of my corporate/managed care mental health job. I loved my colleagues and I loved being part of a large interdisciplinary team. Being on the front lines of mental health was great for training and learning. For my own mental health and well-being, however, it wasn’t so great. The hours were long, the paperwork requirements demanding. Having to determine whether someone’s concerns met “medical necessity” put me in an ethical quandary on a near daily basis. Over the years, my caseload became large and unwieldy. I was forced to continue taking new clients every week, which meant that I was only able to see the rest of my caseload about once every 4-6 weeks. It was so demoralizing for both me and my clients. I wanted to provide high quality care but the system did not support that.
The other problem during this time was that I wasn’t doing the work that was really calling to me. I knew I didn’t want to be a generalist who tries to treat any random person who happens to call. In therapy, a good fit is everything. I knew I was a good fit for some people and not for others. I knew that when I worked with AANHPI clients, I felt energized and was in a flow state in session. It meant so much to me to validate and normalize the complex experiences my AANHPI clients shared with me. But leaving a “good job” with great benefits and a pension is not an easy thing to do. Starting a private practice on your own is scary and uncertain. Like many children of immigrants, I was raised to prioritize security and predictability. Now that I’ve built my practice, I’ve come to believe that risks are often worth taking, especially when the “safe” option no longer feels safe because it causes burnout.
I’m scared all the time and I’m proud. I see this practice as an embodiment of my adventurous spirit and the wisdom of putting myself first.
My Style of Therapy
I have an eclectic style of therapy that combines psychodynamic principles with cognitive-behavioral interventions and a trauma-informed lens. “Psychodynamic” refers to a focus on unconscious patterns and early life experiences that have an impact on a person’s current functioning. Cognitive-behavioral approaches include changing the way one thinks in order to feel better. The behavioral component is engaging in behaviors that help a person feel better. “Trauma-informed” suggests that I take into serious consideration the potential impact of traumatic experiences individuals may have and I take specific steps to provide a safe and empowering therapeutic environment.
Therapy jargon aside, I strive to work at a very high level. I’m interested in facilitating depth and change. I tailor the space and interventions to the particular individual I’m working with.
Asian American Psychologist: Who I Work With
My practice focuses on high-achieving Asian American women who live in California, the 42 PSYPACT states, and outside the US (depending on the country). Important caveat: I do work with a number of non-Asians and men of all racial backgrounds who have come to me through my professional networks or have just stumbled upon me online.
What my clients all have in common is that they value what I offer that many other therapists do not: the highest level of education possible for a therapist, lots of clinical experience, breadth and depth in knowledge about BIPOC mental health, lived experience as a 1.5 generation Korean American woman immigrant, a sense of humor, and compassion.
If you think I’d be a good fit for you, you can book a free consultation with me.